Train-generator and driving mechanism therefor.



' W. M. MODOUG'ALL.

TRAIN GENERATOR AND DRI VING MECHANISM THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE10, 1910.

1,007,221 Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

WITNESSES. INVEN TOR.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COuWASHINGTON. Dic.

Unrrn SAT TRAIN-GENERATOR AND DRIVING MECHANISM THEREFOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that 1, WILLIAM M. Mo- DOUGALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrain-Generators and Driving Mechanism Therefor, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to driving means for electric generators employedon trains for charging storage batteries and other purposes.

A common arrangement has been to mount the generator on one of the wheelaxles. This arrangement, while simple, has the defect of exposing thegenerator to all the shocks and vibrations of the road, and also to thedust and grit which continually swirls around the truck and is veryinjurious to delicate mechanism. By my invention I inclose the generatorwithin a permanent jacket or casing in the floor of the car body, andprovide a form of driving connection from a wheel axle of the vehiclewhich not only permits all the free up and down and lateral swingingmovements which necessarily take place in the truck, but furthermore issubstantially dust proof, acting eficiently to keep all the dirt anddust of the road away from the wearing surfaces.

My invention is further designed to provide great rigidity in thebearing supports of the various intermeshing gears through which thepower is transmitted. I employ an extensible jointed or Cardan shaftwhich transmits the power from a wheel axle of the train to a fixed gearbox on the truck, and from this gear box the power is trans mittedthrough a flexible shaft to one of a pair of intermeshing bevel gears onthe car body and from which the generator is driven.

The drawing shows in side elevation, partly in section, a traingenerator and driving mechanism therefor embodying the principles of myinvention.

Referring to the drawings in which like Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 10,

clamping is efiected.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911. 1910. Serial No. 566,184.

parts are designated by the same reference sign, 1 designates broadly atruck having the usual wheels 2 and frame beams 3, 4 of the usual kind,the beams 4 extending transversely across the body of the truck.

, 5 denotes a bevel gear transversely split or divided to permit it tobe clamped upon the axle 6 of the wheel 2.

7 denotes bolts or screws by which the g This bevel gear 5 is inclosedin a casing 8 which also contains a bearing 9 for a shaft 10.

11 denotes a bevel pinion on the shaft 10 permanently in mesh with thebevel gear 5. The casing 8 also has a rigidly projecting tubular part 12radially extending outward from the bearing of the shaft 10.

14 denotes a Cardan shaft of the usual or any desired sort joined to theshaft 10 and extending outward therefrom through the tube 12. The Cardanshaft 14 in this exemplification of my invention comprises telescopingmembers a and b, and universal joints 0 and (Z; member or, having arecessed end for the reception of 5, while its other end is connected toshaft 10 by a universal joint 0 and member 6 is similarly connected bythe universal joint cl to a shaft or arbor 17. The recess in the end ofmember a is preferably square in cross section and the end of member 6which extends into said recess is also correspondingly squared, asindicated in the figure.

16 denotes a gear box containing shaft 17 and a similar shaft or arbor18, on which shafts are respectively fixed the permanently intermeshingbevel gears 17 18. These gears are wholly inclosed by the gear box 16which is adapted to be packed with grease in the usual way with gearmechanism of this sort.

2O denotes an electric generator which is inset or located in the flooror body of the car. This generator is housedin a hatshaped or apanshaped casing 21, the armature 22 of the generator being coaxialwiththe axis of such casing and having a driving shaft 23 extending downwardthrough the bottom of the said casing 21. At this side the armatureshaft is journaled, preferably in the ball bearings 24:, 25.

26 denotes an additional bearing for the armature on the top sidethereof, this bearing forming part of a cover for the panshaped casing21. The shaft 23 has a bevel gear 28 fixed thereto at its lower end andthis bevel gear is in permanent mesh with a similar gear 29 on a shaft30 journaled within a box or casing 31 forming part of the casing 21.The shaft 30 and the shaft or arbor 18 previously described areconnected together by a flexible shaft connection 32.

38 denotes a canvas or other flexible tube joining the gear box 16 andthe gear box 81 and inclosing the flexible shaft 32 so as to entirelyexclude any dust, dirt or grit of the road therefrom. For purposes ofillustration I have shown a spiral spring 3 1 inclosed within the canvastube 33 and ex panding the same outward away from the flexible shaft 32.Instead of a flexible shaft of this character I might employ any otherform of non-rigid shaft.

The operation is as follows: When the train is moving on its trackwaythe axle 2 revolves, thereby correspondingly rotating the bevel gear 5which is clamped upon the said axle. The rotation of this gear drivesthe bevel pinion 11 with its Cardan shaft 1% at a multipled speed ratioand this power is supplied to the bevel gears 17, 18, cansing them torotate and driving the flexible shaft 32 which is geared to thegenerator. It will be observed that in the preliminary parts of thistransmission where the torque is of course most heavy, the transmissionis made through a positively acting Cardan shaft which is strong andrigid and able to transmit large forces. The final part of thetransmission where the power is lighter is made through a flexibleshaft. In order to minimize the duty of this part, I have provided thegenerator with a ballbearing armature. These details of course may bevaried or modified; for example plain or roller bearings may be used.From the standpoint of lubrication my system presents marked advantages,since it is only necessary to fill the gear box 16 with lubricant. Thislubricant will gravitate clownward through the tube 12 and supply thelower gear casing 8. Any suitable holes or cavities may be provided inthe parts to facilitate this passage of the oil. The generator with itsbearings requires little or no lubrication, but may be supplied withlubricant with great facility from the car body if desired.

lVhat I claim, is

1. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a Cardan shaft positively driven from said axle, a gear box on thetruck, a generator on the car body, a flexible shaft arranged to drivesaid generator, and intermeshing gears in said box respectively oined tosaid Gardan shaft and to said flexible shaft.

2. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a bevel gear on said axle, a Gardan shaft having a pinion meshingwith said gear, a gear box on the truck, a generator on the car body, aflexible shaft arranged to drive said generator, and intermeshing gearsin said box respectively joined to said Cardan shaft and to saidflexible shaft.

3. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a Cardan shaft positively driven from said axle, a gear box on thetruck, an incased generator inset in the floor of the car body, aflexible shaft having bevel gears arranged to drive said generator, andintermeshing gears in said box respectively joined to said Cardan shaftand to said flexible shaft.

4. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a Cardan shaft positively driven from said axle, a gear box on thetruck disposed out of alinement with said axle, the axle beingdisplaceable with respect to said box, a generator on the car body, aflexible shaft arranged to drive said generator, and intermeshing gearsin said box respectively joined to said Cardan shaft and to saidflexible shaft.

5. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a Cardan shaft positively driven from said axle, a gear box on thetruck, an incased generator inset in the floor of the car body, aflexible shaft arranged to drive said generator, and intermeshing bevelgears in said box respectively oined to said Cardan shaft and saidflexible shaft.

6. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a Cardan shaft positively driven from said axle, a gear box on thetruck, a generator on the car body, a flexible shaft geared to drivesaid generator, and intermeshing gears in said box respectively joinedto said Cardan shaft and to said flexible shaft.

7. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a bevel gear detachably mounted thereon, a Cardan shaft having apinion driven from said gear, a gear box on the truck, an incasedgenerator inset in the floor of the car body, a flexible shaft arrangedto drive said generator, and intermeshing gears in said box respectivelyoined to said Cardan shaft and to said flexible shaft.

8. In a driving mechanism for a train generator, a truck having a wheelaxle, a Oardan shaft positively driven from said axle, a rigid tubesurrounding said Car- In Witness whereof, I subscribe my signadanslfiaft and maintaining the alinement ture, in the presence of twoWitnesses. ther'eo a gear box on the truck, a generator on the car body,a flexible shaft arranged WILLIAM MCDOUGALL' to drive said generator,and intermeshing- WVitnesses:

gears in said box respectively joined to said WM. A. RosENBAUM,

Cardan shaft and to said flexible shaft. WALDO M. CHAPIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

